9 replies so far

Have you thought about just using epoxy floor coating? I would imagine it would be a lot cheaper. Remember it is a basement shop not finished living space. The money you save could buy tools or material for your next project.

Unless I am missing it. All the epoxy floor coating that I have read, says not to use it on damp concrete floors. I figure since it is in the basement, even though it doesn’t leak, moisture does seep through.

-- While teaching a class, a gentlemen once asked me: "When chip carving an intricate design, what do you do when you are almost finished and the wood breaks off?" I replied "Cover the kids ears."

In my basement I put the dimpled rolled plastic that you can also use on the outside of foundation walls (like the Loxscreen or DMX underlayment) and then used concrete screws to attach OSB tongue and groove sheets on top of it. Quite a bit cheaper. I was a bit concerned about using OSB in the basement, but it seems to have held up well. I put click laminate flooring over top and it works great. The Dricore panels should work similarly and be a bit quicker to install.

If you want to stop moisture a product like drylok will work well as long as there isn’t paint on the floor now you just roll it on. It actually absorbs into the concrete and can exist, I believe 20psi of hydraulic pressure. It works great. After that you can put what ever you want over the top of it. I don’t recommend laminate flooring. In a basement there is always the risk of flooding. A burst pipe a crazy storm that raises and underground aquifer or anything like that. Laminate will swell when exposed to moisture and never go back to normal. If you can get deal with the aesthetics of osb or plywood it’s a good way to go. It can handle limited exposure to moisture. And in the event of a flood it can be replaced at a reasonable price. I like Jeremy’s idea of using loxscreen and laying sheets over it. Hope it all works out

-- Greg - Ferdinand and Son Construction: Do it right the first time. Like us on Facebook

jdh122 I like where you are going with this for a finished basement (living space type room). My major concern would be weight on top of either product. If you put a 1000 lb machine on top of it would it still hold, or just mash down in time? A cabinet saw or large stationary planer is really a lot of weight in a small footprint. Also rolling heavy machines around may move the material under foot. Those would really be my big concerns, other than that I think its great.

I wouldn’t do anything other than run a fan if you have windows or a dehumidifier. If it’s cold down there get one that can work in the cooler temps (there is a difference). If there’s a sink down there just put the unit up on some type of pedestal and run the drain into the sink via a hose.

When I finished my basement I hadn’t yet become a woodworker, so the space was for a rec room/living room. That living room has long since vanished and the floor seems to be standing up to the weight of my tablesaw and bandsaw – although of course it’s hard to say for sure what’s going on underneath…

We don’t usually have the American type basements here in the UK, so I can’t comment. However would using tiles as suggested not be stressful on ones back ? I had a concrete floor in an my above ground shop which was newly built for me and it killed my back everyday.I eventually laid laminate flooring down with some light sponge underlay that is recommended and is sold with it, and have been trouble free since then. It’s what they call a floating floor as it rests purely on this spongey under material really great to walk on. Alistair